I think Kevin Barry Artt's story is universal in its themes-An innocent caught up in a meat grinder, escape from oppression, David against Goliath. But, as an American, I had to learn the history from scratch to tell the story right. I grew up a white kid in suburban southern California, not a Black kid from South Central who had to worry about the LAPD. Police, courts, and laws were respected by everyone we knew. If there'd been a story … [Read more...]
Readers: John Ferak’s True Crime Book FAILURE OF JUSTICE Is A Must Read
FAILURE OF JUSTICE marks my fourth non-fiction book and third with publisher WildBlue Press of Colorado. It's the true story of America's biggest modern miscarriage of justice. And it's not your ordinary true crime story at all. It's much more. It's about the death penalty. It's about fixing a broken justice system. It's about fairness and redemption. It's about rebuilding your life - in this case six lives - after a horribly misguided police and … [Read more...]
Prosecutor Proved The Beatrice 6 Innocent And That Their Confessions Were False
John Ferak’s new book "FAILURE OF JUSTICE" about Beatrice, Nebraska brings to mind those strange days when we came face to face with the reality that five people had falsely confessed to participating in a murder. That case confirmed a belief that I have held throughout my career as a prosecutor and as defense counsel. Interrogation is not investigation. The successful solicitation of a confession is no substitute for thorough … [Read more...]